By Valorie Rice, Senior Business Information Specialist.


Every five years we get a glimpse into the agricultural industry via the Census of Agriculture. The report provides data on crops, livestock, and farmland, but even more, it provides information for people working on farms and ranches across the nation. The Census of Agriculture continues to add more demographic information alongside the industry statistics it provides. Information about the military service of farmers was included for the first time in 2017. This was also the first time data were collected for up to four producers per farm instead of just one as in the past. This better reflects the reality of many family-run farms and ranches where a husband and wife, father and son, siblings, or hired managers often jointly manage and make decisions for the operation. Arizona farmers prove to be older, more experienced and more diverse, with a larger share of women and Native American farmers than the U.S. The Census of Agriculture also continues to improve on the number of individual farm operations that respond to the census, which is of particular note for Arizona where the number of farms on reservation land make up a large portion of total farms (and were not well represented in the Census prior to 2007).

Number of Farms

There were 19,086 farms in Arizona for 2017, 4.6 percent fewer than in 2012. The size of farms, however, increased. Figure 1 shows the total number of farms in Arizona by size for 2012 and 2017. The number of farms with 1,000 or more acres increased from 5.5 percent of all farm operations to 11.0 percent while farms with less than 50 acres went from 79.9 percent down to 69.1 percent. The average size of farm in Arizona increased modestly to 1,369 acres. This was much larger than the nation at 441 acres. Western states tend to have more acreage per farm and the average size was more than 1,000 acres for Wyoming, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Arizona.

Figure 1: Arizona Farms by Size
  Acres
  1-9  10 to 49  50 to 179  180 to 499 500 to 999 1,000 plus Total Avg. Size
Arizona 2017 9,436 3,753 1,748 1,085 963 2,101 19,086 1,369
% of total  49.4 19.7 9.2 5.7 5.0 11.0    
Arizona 2012 11,911 4,082 1,517 882 513 1,100 20,005 1,312
% of Total  59.5 20.4 7.6 4.4 2.6 5.5    
                 
U.S. 2017 273,325 583,001 564,763 315,017 133,321 172,793 2,042,220 441
% of Total 13.4 28.5 27.7 15.4 6.5 8.5    
Source: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service and Economic and Business Research Center, The University of Arizona.

Apache County had the largest number of farms in the state with 5,551 followed by Navajo County at 4,205. These two counties also were home to the largest number of smaller and larger farms. The average size of farm was largest in Gila County. Coconino County had the most acreage devoted to farming and ranching.

Figure 2: Farms by Size in Arizona Counties
  Acres
  1-9 acres 10 to 49  50 to 179  180 to 499 500 to 999 1,000 plus Total Farms Total Acres Avg Size
Arizona 9,436 3,753 1,748 1,085 963 2,101 19,086 26,125,819 1,369
Apache 2,829 1,186 450 276 227 583 5,551 5,554,963 1,001
Cochise 161 268 267 126 69 192 1,083 973,407 899
Coconino 1,321 346 151 53 22 249 2,142 6,139,007 2,866
Gila 133 67 53 21 9 15 298 1,214,134 4,074
Graham 208 80 68 18 29 45 448 1,290,391 2,880
Greenlee 16 48 25 15 9 10 123 65,911 536
La Paz 9 19 18 17 8 26 97 249,723 2,574
Maricopa 1,144 387 126 72 56 89 1,874 474,438 253
Mohave 115 77 20 28 22 55 317 745,415 2,351
Navajo 2,315 501 263 259 371 496 4,205 4,413,121 1,049
Pima 356 171 49 19 14 52 661 2,617,789 3,960
Pinal 262 166 79 71 63 121 762 1,120,637 1,471
Santa Cruz 38 67 48 23 7 36 219 197,735 903
Yavapai 372 250 81 45 30 72 850 821,929 967
Yuma 157 120 50 42 27 60 456 247,219 542
Source: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service and Economic and Business Research Center, The University of Arizona.

Agricultural Products

Arizona remains a top state for vegetables and melons, ranking fifth out of all states. Yuma County is among the top three counties in the U.S. for the vegetables, melons, potatoes, and sweet potatoes commodity category. The top three agricultural products by market value in Arizona represent 65 percent of all sales for the state. These were vegetables, melons, potatoes, and sweet potatoes followed by milk from cows and cattle and calves (Figure 3). Milk from cows is the top commodity for Maricopa County and it ranks sixth in the nation for all counties producing milk.

While the state ranks high for select commodities, Arizona’s total of $3.85 million represents only 1 percent of sales for the nation and ranks 30th out of all states. California surpasses all states in commodity sales and average sales per farm. In fact, a single county in California (Fresno) had larger agricultural sales than 25 states, including Arizona.

Figure 3: Market Value of Agricultural Products Sold for Arizona in 2017, Ranked by Sales
  Farms Sales ($1,000) Rank % of Total Sales
Total sales 19,086 3,852,008   100.0
Vegetables, melons, potatoes, and sweet potatoes 1,115 1,009,125 1 26.2
Milk from cows 86 856,376 2 22.2
Cattle and calves 3,812 641,182 3 16.6
Other crops and hay 1,026 401,709 4 10.4
Nursery, greenhouse, floriculture, and sod 271 195,925 5 5.1
Cotton and cottonseed 283 184,002 6 4.8
Poultry and eggs 984 (D) 7 (D)
Grains, oilseeds, dry beans, and dry peas 1,799 157,833 8 4.1
Fruits, tree nuts, and berries 818 (D) 9 (D)
Hogs and pigs 372 (D) 10 (D)
Horses, ponies, mules, burros, and donkeys 1,546 32,934 11 0.9
Sheep, goats, wool, mohair, and milk 4,063 8,911 12 0.2
Aquaculture 31 (D) 13 (D)
Other animals and other animal products 534 5,510 14 0.1
Cultivated Christmas trees & short rotation woody crops 4 (D) 15 (D)
Source: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service and Economic and Business Research Center, The University of Arizona.

Maricopa County had the highest market value of products sold in the state, followed by Yuma County. Maricopa, Yuma, and Pinal counties combined accounted for 83 percent of the total for the state. Figure 4 shows Arizona counties by value of agricultural products sold and the percent of sales for either crops or livestock, poultry, and products. Items such as milk and eggs are included in livestock, poultry, and products. The percentage for the value of crops versus livestock was 50-50 in the U.S. for 2017.

Figure 4: Market Value of Agricultural Products Sold by County
  Sales ($1,000) % Crop Sales % Livestock Sales
Arizona 3,852,008 54 45
Apache 18,003 20 80
Cochise 144,741 57 43
Coconino 23,909 4 96
Gila 7,260 8 92
Graham 62,074 88 12
Greenlee 8,689 25 75
La Paz 160,152 (D) (D)
Maricopa 1,209,132 39 61
Mohave 32,293 71 29
Navajo 49,917 9 91
Pima 75,469 84 16
Pinal 861,939 36 64
Santa Cruz 19,631 49 51
Yavapai 35,732 40 60
Yuma 1,143,068 (D) (D)
Source: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service and Economic and Business Research Center, The University of Arizona.

Organic and Direct Sales

The number of farms in Arizona selling organic products stayed virtually the same between 2012 and 2017. Total sales, however, increased by 80 percent in that time. Arizona had 75 farms with $54,503,000 in organic product sales in 2012. In 2017, the number of farms was 74, yet sales increased to $97,956,000, accounting for 2.5 percent of total farm sales for the state. The number of farms with USDA National Organic Program certified organic production increased from 42 to 67 between 2012 and 2017, with the majority of these in Maricopa and Yuma counties.

More than 75 percent of the 826 farms in Arizona selling directly to customers were smaller than 50 acres. These same small farms accounted for the majority of sales for food sold directly to customers. This includes sales of edible agricultural products both produced and sold by the operation to consumers via farmers markets, on farm stores, roadside stands, u-pick, CSA or online marketplaces. There were 187 farms in Arizona with sales to retail markets, institutions, and food hubs for local or regional branding. Most of these farms were under 50 acres, but majority of sales for the state came from very large farms (more than 2,000 acres). California was the state with the most farms and commodity sales for operations marketing direct to consumers as well as to retailers.  

Demographics

For the first time, the census questionnaire allowed for up to four people per farm to be listed as producers while in previous years it was limited to just one “principal operator”. A producer is a person involved in making decisions for the farm operation. This can be an owner, a member of the owner’s household, a hired manager, a tenant, renter, or sharecropper. (This article uses the terms producer and farmer or rancher interchangeably.) More than 95 percent of farms in the U.S. are family farms, as are nearly that many in Arizona (94.7 percent). Allowing for more than one producer better reflects the reality of family-run farms and ranches where a husband and wife, father and son, or siblings often jointly manage and make decisions for the operation. While it allows for richer information, direct comparison with previous census years is unfeasible. The current data, however, are interesting and Arizona stands out in several areas.

Since the census asked for the number of producers per farm, let us look at how Arizona compares to the nation. Figure 5 indicates the number and percent of farms by the number of producers. More than 50 percent of all farms in the U.S. and Arizona have more than one person involved in making decisions for the farm. Arizona has a larger percent of farms with a single producer, yet it also has a larger percentage than the nation for farms with more than two producers. A small number of farms list more than four producers, however the demographic data provided in census results includes only up to four persons per farm. 

Figure 5: Farms by Number of Producers
  Producers per Farm
  1 2 3 4 5 or more
Arizona 9,130 7,354 1,450 803 349
% of farms 48 39 8 4.2 1.8
U.S. 931,799 930,782 112,085 47674 19880
% of farms 46 46 5 2.3 1.0
Source: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service and Economic and Business Research Center, The University of Arizona.

The profile of Arizona farmers and ranchers differs from the nation in several compelling ways. The number of female farmers in Arizona is nearly equal that of males. At 48.7 percent, Arizona has the largest percentage of female farmers of any state and far above the national figure of 36.1 percent. Coconino was the county with the largest percentage of female producers, at 55.4 percent, while La Paz had just 19.6 percent.

The vast majority of farmers and ranchers in the U.S. were white in 2017, 95.4 percent, in fact. This was not the case for Arizona, where the figure was 39.7 percent. Arizona had the lowest percentage of any state by far, Hawaii being next with 51.8 percent white followed by New Mexico at 77.8 percent. Farmers in Arizona were predominately American Indian or Alaska Native at 58.8 percent, versus only 1.7 percent nationally. Most Native American farmers in Arizona reside in three counties: Apache, Navajo, and Coconino. (These figures represent white and American Indian or Alaska Native races alone. Percentages would be slightly higher if they included race alone and in combination with other races.) In a state with more than 30 percent of the population Hispanic or Latino, only 4.5 percent of Arizona’s farmers were Hispanic. This was similar to the nation, where 3.3 percent of farmers were Hispanic.

The average age of producers in Arizona was 59.4 years. This was higher than the U.S. average of 57.5 years and only two states were older: Hawaii with 60.1 years and New Mexico with 59.8 years. Within Arizona, only Pinal and Yuma had a lower average age than the nation. Greenlee was the county with the oldest producers at an average age of 62.5 years.

Farming and ranching can often be a life-long occupation. In Arizona, the average number of years spent working on any farm was 26.0 years, compared to 23.4 years for the nation. Iowa farmers have the longest time spent on a farm at an average 27.2 years while Alaska averages just 16.9 years. In Arizona, the range goes from 28.9 years in Navajo County down to 19.3 years in Santa Cruz County. Over 50 percent of producers in Arizona indicated farming was their primary occupation (55.0 percent) and 41.9 percent had no days of work off the farm, meaning they did not have any other jobs.

New to the 2017 Census of Agriculture is the number of farmers and ranchers who have served or are serving in the military. That number was 370,619 in the U.S., coming out to 10.9 percent of all producers. The state with the largest percentage of farmers who have served in the military was South Carolina at 13.7 percent and Utah had the least at 7.9 percent. The number of farmers or ranchers in Arizona who have served in the military was 2,861, or 8.7 percent, placing it among the bottom 10 states for military service. 

 Figure 6: Demographics of Producers
  Total Male Female % American Indian Avg. Age Avg. Years Farming Military Service
U.S. Total 3,399,834 2,172,373 1,227,461 1.7 57.5 23.4 370,619
Arizona 32,796 16,828 15,968 58.8 59.4 26 2,861
Apache 8,979 4,234 4,745 93.6 59.4 28.8 563
Cochise 1,918 1,123 795 1.6 58.1 20 330
Coconino 3,855 1,719 2,136 89.8 60.4 28.1 285
Gila 484 306 178 17.4 61.7 22.1 66
Graham 735 478 257 18.1 59.9 21.7 116
Greenlee 235 144 91 N/A 62.5 27 35
La Paz 153 123 30 30.1 57.9 20.8 9
Maricopa 3,177 1,782 1,395 2.4 59.3 22.7 387
Mohave 588 332 256 10.7 59.9 20.2 67
Navajo 7,557 3,610 3,947 89.0 59.0 28.9 436
Pima 1,078 603 475 13.9 60.1 24.1 81
Pinal 1,375 793 582 5.6 57.1 20.9 130
Santa Cruz 415 239 176 0.5 59.5 19.3 56
Yavapai 1,472 799 673 1.2 61.5 21 217
Yuma 775 543 232 0.6 56.6 20.7 83
Source: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service and Economic and Business Research Center, The University of Arizona.

Business Trends and Practices

The average market value of products sold per farm in Arizona increased since 2012, but so did production expenses, leaving net cash farm income considerably lower than the previous census, falling from $30,012 in 2012 to $18,231 in 2017. Net cash income measured as a per farm average was already lower in Arizona that the nation in 2012. It is now less than half that of the national average net cash farm income of $43,053. There was a large disparity between counties, with per farm average net cash income ranging from -$9,333 in Yavapai to $317,599 in Yuma.

Businesses now rely on computers and the internet more than ever including farms and ranches. Arizona however remains the least connected state when it comes to agriculture. The number of farm operations having internet connection in 2017 increased by 2,010 from 2012, yet Arizona is still the state with the smallest share of farms having internet access at 57.4 percent. New Mexico is slightly better with 60.5 percent. Nationally, 75.4 percent of farms have internet access. Of the farms and ranches that do have internet access in Arizona, it comes mostly from mobile internet service for cell phones or other devices followed by satellite and DSL services. Figure 7 includes a U.S. map depicting farms with internet access by county in 2017. It shows that while some counties in Arizona have farms with equivalent access as the nation, others have very little access.

Figure 7: Farms with Internet Access, Percent by County, 2017

farms with internet access 2017 as a percent of total farms

In 2017, 75 percent of U.S. farms had internet access, up from 70 percent in 2012. Rates are higher in western and northern states.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service

The number of farms utilizing renewable energy is growing. In 2017, 7.6 percent of all farms in Arizona had some sort of renewable energy producing system, up from 4 percent in 2012. The increase was even more prominent in the U.S., moving from 2.7 percent of farms in 2012 to 6.5 percent in 2017. The vast majority of renewable energy in Arizona came from the use of solar panels (1,337 out of the 1,444 farms using renewables) followed by wind turbines and other. Nationally, solar was the top renewable energy source followed by geothermal/geoexchange systems and wind turbines.   

One final piece of information new for the 2017 Agricultural Census pertains to barns. This was the first year for the question of how many farms had a barn built before 1960. Arizona happens to have 793 of them!

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